


too long or long enough

by towokuwusatsuwu



Category: Crows Zero (Movies)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Kissing, M/M, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Polyamory Negotiations, Touch-Starved, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-16 05:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15430446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/towokuwusatsuwu/pseuds/towokuwusatsuwu
Summary: genji enjoys life with his boyfriend tamao and his best friend tokio and seemingly nothing could go wrong in their lull of peace. but genji can't quite keep his hands to himself and he wonders, and tokio seems to fit between them like a puzzle piece they never knew was missing.





	too long or long enough

Takiya Genji has never known quite what personal space is supposed to mean, always too aware of his hands and his limbs and his body in general to know when he can sit too close to someone or when he needs to give them a wide berth. Sometimes, he knows better. He knows to give Izaki and Tokaji as much space as necessary, and he knows that if he sits too far from Tamao, Tamao will make the difference up himself, not the least bit shy in their relationship or any of the touches the two of them share so that Genji never has to second guess the urges he has to pull Tamao close, press kisses to the side of his head and the space where his shoulder meets his neck until Tamao softens in his embrace.

With Tokio, things are… Different. The two of them are friends but Genji always feels like maybe his hands should stay put, maybe he should be less casual now that he has Tamao in his life as more than just a rival turned friend. The line has always been difficult for him to draw; he was raised to be hard and finds himself awkward and soft instead, affection denied to him as a child to sharpen him only manifesting now in his desire to hug his friends, to wrap himself around his boyfriend like a warm winter coat.

It might just be that Tokio has gone through so much, that they could have lost him once and Genji is still not quite used to being reassured that everything is fine, that Tokio has recovered fully and is healthy once more. Genji wants to reach out to touch him, to be sure that he is real and with them, that nothing and no one is going to take him away from them. Maybe it’s why he sees Tamao stealing little touches there and there as well, his eyes always softening in a way that Genji can understand because he knows he likely looks the same, happy to know his best friend is alive and well, happy to know all of them are safe and secure.

If Tokio minds the touching, he never says anything about it or makes any faces or disgruntled noises. He never shoves Genji’s hands away. Rather, he tends to lean into them, initiate touches of his own, linking his arm with Genji’s or wrapping an arm around him like it doesn’t get them curious stares when strangers are around. Genji is hardly fazed; he gets them wherever he goes based on the way he looks and if he’s with Tamao and Tamao is in a mood, then the stares are there, though those Genji tries to scowl away. No one deserves to look at Tamao when he’s comfortable and happy in his own skin and the fabric of a new dress.

Sometimes, Tokio is with them on an outing that was supposed to be just the two of them, but neither of them seem much to mind. The city is hardly large enough to become entirely lost in, and this afternoon looks to be one of those. Tamao hangs off of Genji’s arm like always, humming to himself, head resting against Genji’s arm until he sees someone across the street, squints and then raises an arm to wave them over. The moment the light changes, Genji sees Tokio quickly crossing the street, looking happy and relaxed, a button-down open over his binder. The full-length ones are impossible to tell apart from tank tops, and he knows that Tokio takes advantage of this as often as possible when hot weather comes.

“Good afternoon,” Tokio singsongs, stopping at the edge of the sidewalk and whistling low. “Tamao, that’s one of the best ones by far, I think. It really suits you.”

Tamao smirks, cocks his head to the side and gathers a handful of fabric in one hand, fanning the skirt out as far as it will go. He tends toward floral prints when it comes to dresses, this one a deep dark blue with white and pink petals splashed across its length. “You think so? Genji picked this one out. Finally dragged him off to look at them with me.”

“Proud of you, Gen.” Tokio knocks his fist into Genji’s chest, right over his heart. “Not to intrude if you two are just looking for some alone time—”

“Tamao?” Genji’s gaze slides left and Tamao looks up at him. “Up to you.”

“It’s fine with me if he joins us,” Tamao says firmly.

This is the usual; Tokio falls in step with them as they start down the street, Tamao tucked up under Genji’s arm, the slight breeze making the skirt of his dress flutter around his knees. He tends for ones about this long though there had been one he bought specifically because it had the tendency to ride up with every step and Genji almost died in the shop when he’d seen Tamao in it. All that matters to Genji is that Tamao is happy, and he protects that happiness with a ferocity even though he knows Tamao can protect himself.

“What are you two up to today?” Tokio asks.

Tamao shrugs, fingers curling around Genji’s wrist, keeping his arm fully in place. “Dunno yet,” he says. “We just decided we’d walk around and figure out something to do.”

“Last time we did this, we just walked around for like… Four hours,” Genji observes.

“What’s wrong with that?” Tokio bumps into him lightly. “As long as you’re together.”

“Quality time,” Tamao agrees with a blinding smile.

Genji has never felt as lucky in life as he does right now; there’s a warm, floating feeling in his chest every time he finds himself with the two of them, no longer fighting but enjoying the time they have together. When Tokio takes it upon himself to take Genji’s hand in his own, lacing their fingers together, Genji doesn’t even think about shaking him off. Something about it feels so natural and Tamao doesn’t seem to mind.

That they end up in the park is hardly a surprise, Tamao laying claim to one of the benches and sending Genji off to buy ice cream. He rolls his eyes but consents, not entirely unused to this chore because, truth be told, he might be wrapped around Tamao’s finger and the amused glint in Tokio’s eyes does nothing to deter this. He leaves them be and goes to the cart.

It’s from this distance that Genji can see the handful of guys who approach the bench, and he can’t hear from this distance but he still feels tension run rampant through his muscles when Tokio pushes himself up off of the bench and comes to stand between the men and Tamao. It’s a tense moment and Genji is ready to dart across the park if needed but whatever Tokio says has the others backing down, and he can’t  _ hear _ but he still picks up the shape of Tamao’s amused laugh, the way he throws his head back in the sun.

Still, Genji speed walks back to them. “What happened?” he asks.

“Assholes happened.” Tokio swipes the popsicle he wants and pulls off the wrapper with his teeth before popping the ice between his lips. He smirks around it. “Tokio took care of it.”

Tokio, predictably, looks proud of himself as he accepts Genji’s offered popsicle, sitting himself back down on the bench. “Man, I know you might not get what I’m about to say, but it feels so  _ good _ that I can just intimidate guys like that now. That I legitimately scare them.”

“My knight in shining armor,” Tamao says. “Not that I can’t do it myself but it’s not easy to fight in a dress and frankly I just don’t fucking want to right now.”

Genji smiles and sits on Tamao’s other side, unwrapping his own popsicle. “I can’t blame you for that. Well, you’ve got both of us to look after you until you decide you want to fight.”

“If I’m the knight in shining armor, does that make you the princess?” Tokio teases.

Tamao looks thoughtful, humming around his popsicle. “To be honest? I don’t think I mind. I’ve been thinking about this whole gender thing lately and I just, I dunno, don’t think I fit guy or girl all that well? Is there an in-between? Is that a thing that happens, Tokio?”

“Yeah, that’s a thing that happens.” Tokio turns to face him and Genji watches them, quiet, well-aware he has little place in this conversation. “You can be between if you want. You can even be neither. It’s all up to what you feel and what you say.”

“Good. Then I’m between.” Tamao grins. “And I don’t mind being your princess.”

“Wow,” Genji says, “you’re just leaving me like that, huh?”

“Shut up.” Tamao leans against his side and Genji wraps an arm around him, kissing the top of his head, his hair warmed by the sunlight streaming down on them. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Tokio winks at him. “Wouldn’t dream of trying to steal him away from you, Gen.”

By the time they finish their popsicles, Tamao has climbed right into Genji’s lap, complaining that the bench isn’t comfortable enough compared to Genji’s lap. That gives Tokio license to sprawl next to them, and when he takes Genji by the hand again, Genji barely notices. He likes the warmth and the companionship too much to think anything about it, lulled into a dreamlike state by Tamao’s warm, blue raspberry-scented breath against his throat and Tokio’s familiar fingers twined with his own. He almost doesn’t notice when his head tilts until he finds it resting on Tokio’s shoulder, his eyelids suddenly a little too heavy in the warm summer air.

“Okay,” Tokio says quietly, “I have to ask a question.”

“He doesn’t but I do,” Tamao says, and Genji makes a small confused sound.

Tokio exhales slowly. “Okay. Yeah, I thought so. Gen, can you set up?”

“I guess.” Genji tries not to sound too whiney or pitiful as he picks his head off of Tokio’s shoulder, though it’s the last thing he wants to do right now. “What’s the question and what was that about me not something?  _ He doesn’t _ what?”

“Know he likes us,” Tamao answers.

Tokio makes a strangled noise. “Tamao—”

“I’ve waited long enough for you to  _ say _ something,” Tamao interrupts while Genji struggles to make sense of what he was just told. Maybe he is a little dumb. “Genji, Tokio likes you, and he likes me. He likes us. He wasn’t going to say anything probably because we’re together and it’s like intruding and we’re his friends but it’s been painfully honest this entire time but you’re oblivious as hell and he’s not brave enough to just come out with it.”

Genji opens his mouth and closes it a few times. “What?”

“Oh, okay.” Tokio takes a deep breath and then his hand is on Genji’s face, turning it to face him properly. “Tamao is right. I’m… In love with both of you.”

“Told you,” Tamao says.

“I’d been that way over Tamao for a while and then you came back and it kind of… Reignited an old crush, only you were so much  _ more _ now and I got overwhelmed. And then you two just happened, so I never said anything.” Tokio laughs, shakes his head and runs a hand through his soft messy hair. “But I guess I’ve said it now. I just, the touching— I always wondered—”

“Genji’s touch-starved,” Tamao says, and Genji frowns at the word. “It means you want physical attention, Genji, and you don’t get it often. It’s fine, like, it’s normal? And I don’t mind. But you were kind of killing Tokio every time you’d put your hands all over him.”

“Oh.” Genji blinks a few times. “I’m sorry? I didn’t mean to make things so hard for you.”

Tokio laughs softly and shakes his head. “No worries. I was enjoying it a little, too. Just getting to have you two close and not feel like I was third wheeling the entire time.”

“You couldn’t if you tried, I don’t think.” Genji looks down at Tamao in his lap, who only raises an eyebrow at him. “How do you feel about this?”

Tamao smiles mischievously up at him, holding up his hands. “I’ve got two of these, don’t I? I wouldn’t mind having two boyfriends. It’s not like Tokio doesn’t qualify already, he’s with us a whole lot and I’m not stupid enough to think you’ve never had a crush on him.”

“That’s fair,” Genji says, Tokio sputtering once more. “It’s hard not to, I’d think? I don’t know that I’d ever have done anything with you if you hadn’t mentioned it to me first.”

“You’re dense and shy. It’s kinda a cute combo,” Tamao reasons.

Tokio clears his throat. “So, uh, about this—”

Tamao leans across Genji’s lap to shut him up, fisting a hand in the collar of his button-down for balance as he smashes their lips together. It’s sudden and looks rough and Genji watches, keeping his hands on Tamao’s waist to keep him braced, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips when Tokio leans into the kiss, hand coming up to cup Tamao’s cheek. The kiss turns softer then, less violence and more affection, Tokio’s fingers slipping up into Tamao’s long hair.

“Your turn,” Tamao says when he leans back, looking slightly winded.

Genji shifts Tamao on his lap so he can lean in himself, a startled little noise slipping through his lips when Tokio takes his face in both hands and kisses him like he’s trying to touch his soul. It feels like something they should have done a long time ago, their lips slotting perfectly together, and Genji only has the experience he’s gotten with Tamao but Tokio leads him, so gentle and so passionate it makes Genji’s heart thump hard against his ribs a little faster and his breath trip in his throat. Tokio really  _ has _ liked him for a long time.

“Does that make this official?” Tokio asks when he leans back, blinking rapidly.

Tamao hums, swinging his legs up onto Tokio’s lap. “I’m game for another boyfriend. Gen?”

“Absolutely.” Genji doesn’t even hesitate, flushing just slightly when Tokio squeezes his hand; he’s been holding it this whole time. “I’m definitely fine with that.”

He lays his head back on Tokio’s shoulder, satisfied that the matter is settled and Tamao goes back to cuddling up against him. Tokio curls a hand in the back of Tamao’s knee and lets it rest there, his head coming to rest against Genji’s. This time, the touch is just perfect.


End file.
